Jodi Sta. Maria on her ‘historic’ project, completing her bucket list

Sta. Maria at the launch

Jodi Sta. Maria says she doesn’t always agree with the decisions her screen characters make—and that’s when she’s able to put her experience and time-honed empathy to good use.

“When you embark on a certain role, you have to learn everything about the person you’re playing,” the 40-year-old actress told us during our quick one-on-one chat after she and her son, Thirdy Lacson, were launched recently as Chowking’s latest endorsers. “What is her background? How does she think? What are her choices in life? What motivates her? What are her major concerns and the ‘hugots’ that keep her awake at night?

“The answers to those questions help me justify the hard decisions a character makes. It may be something that I wouldn’t personally do, but that’s how I understand her motives and actions. Nabibigyan ako ng kakaibang perspective on the different issues we face on a daily basis.”

The aforementioned insightful answer was how the lovely actress explained to us when we asked her if she ever takes away life lessons from her characters.

Versatile actress

But it also probably explains why Jodi is always convincing in any role she’s tasked to bring to life, whether she’s playing the adorable Maya in “Be Careful with My Heart,” the vengeful Amor in “Pangako Sa ‘Yo,” the hunted nun Lourdes in “Aparisyon,” careerwoman Trisha in “Labyu with an Accent,” or Dr. Jill Ilustre in “The Broken Marriage Vow,” for which she won a best actress award at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in December last year.

Clad in a red outfit that showed off her enviable whistle-bait figure, Jodi was truly a sight to behold as she took part not just in games, but also in explaining the fast-food chain’s “enhanced” products.

More than that, Jodi was also the picture of a contented actress and mother who’s grateful for the blessings that continue to come her way—like the upcoming series “Unbreak My Heart,” her reunion project with Richard Yap.

More opportunities

“When I was offered ‘Unbreak My Heart,’ which was shot in Switzerland, my first reaction was, ‘This is surreal! Is this really happening?’ Never did I imagine that a project like this—the first coproduction between rivals, ABS-CBN and GMA Network—would happen in this lifetime… and I am grateful to be a part of it!

“Dati kasi, para silang dalawang nag-uumpugang bato. Pero parang biglang nawala ang network war when the collaboration happened—and that’s great for the industry. That’s why I keep describing it as ‘historic’—because it’s a first in Philippine TV. More than the partnership, it provides different opportunities to people from both camps.

“I then realized that when the shutdown [of ABS-CBN] happened, this was what was unearthed… the treasure that was hidden in the dark! After going through a dark period in our lives, it’s part of the inspiring payoff.”

After realizing so many of her dreams, we asked Jodi what other items are left unticked on her bucket list—as an actress and as a person.

“I want to star in a Hollywood film!” Jodi said with a shy smile. “Medyo nahihiya pa daw, ‘no (laughs)? But I am ambitious… I’m driven by goals that keep me in fighting form. The goals that I pursue and the steps I take to realize them keep me going.

“So I dream that it’ll happen one day. If it doesn’t, that’s OK too. What’s even more important for me is that I’m able to leave a good legacy as an actress.

“Meanwhile, as a person, I love to travel. This year, I’ll see if I can tick off another item on my bucket list… and that is to travel to Antarctica! Look, I’ve already been to the other six continents… sa Antarctica na lang hindi (laughs). So, I just want to complete all seven.” INQ

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